Conventional paddleball toys have a paddle with a handle and an impact surface, where the paddle has a roughly ellipsoidal or teardrop-shaped impact surface with a mirror symmetry about its longitudinal axis, and an elastic string tethering a ball, which is secured at or near the center of the impact surface. Such paddleball toys date back decades but the genre has experienced little innovation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy with new modes of operation and play.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy which allows a player to switch between forehand and backhand play.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy which facilitates play with the paddle oriented at a non-zero angle to vertical and/or horizontal.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy which facilitates play in a mode where the paddle has a transverse motion on impact with the ball, or where the paddle imparts a spin to the ball.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy which makes it easier for beginners to learn to play.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a paddleball toy with an adjustable string length, particularly an easy and/or quickly adjustable string length.